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La-Mulana 2 ventures onto Kickstarter, $200K funding goal

La-Mulana 2 is seeking $200,000 in Kickstarter funding to be made for Windows PC, a turn of events as unexpected as one of the spelunking plaformer's traps. Publisher Playism and developer Nigoro first announced the sequel to the WiiWare and PC game at last year's Tokyo Game Show, and now the two studios have a month to raise $200,000 and greenlight the game. Going by the this morning's rapid funding, they won't need the time.

As for what we know about La-Mulana 2, it stars a new hero in Lumisa Kosugi, the possibly illegitimate daughter of the first game's protagonist. If her legitimacy is in question, the sequel's gameplay doesn't look to be. As we saw at TGS, players will once again scavenge for clues in the 2D caves and tombs of La-Mulana 2, and carefully dissect the riddles they find there to avoid falling victim to the many lurking deathtraps.

For those willing to stump up the cash for La-Mulana 2, a $15 pledge earns you a Steam and DRM-free copy of the game upon release. With funding accumulating quickly, Playism and Nigoro will already be looking to the stretch goals they've outlined: Highlights include Mac and Linux versions at $500K, a 3DS or Vita version at $1.15 million, Wii U, PS4, or Xbox One versions at $1.65 million, and Wii, PS3, or Xbox 360 versions all the way up at $2.35 million. The stretch goal platforms are "subject to negotiation," indicating Playism and Nigoro can't guarantee more than one for each stretch goal.

In the campaign video, Nigoro Director Takumi Namamura said his studio wants to take original game's system and evolve it into something that can push "2D games further than they have ever been before."

"I grew up in an era of Japanese game development that made it the envy of the gaming world," said Namamura. "The quality of games accelerated at a high pace. It felt like every single release was another step forward. It was an exciting time for us, with both games and their technology evolving right before our eyes. I feel this evolution of gaming stopped sometime after 3D games became mainstream. But what if 2D games had never stopped evolving? We are challenging ourselves to make a game that answers that question."

Whether or not it answers that question, Nigoro says Lu-Mulana 2 will probably be a 20-to-30 hour game for newcomers, with more than 18 areas, 9 bosses, and 40 mid-stage bosses to explore and confront. Another key figure is that of 16:9, the enhanced aspect ratio from the 2011 original. As for an ETA, when the game was first announced the aim was this year, but the newly unveiled Kickstarter notes an estimated delivery of December 2015.